At Consumer Electronic Show 2014, Parrot, a world leader in wireless peripherals for mobile phones, today announced the demonstration of a new Ethernet-based audio video bridging (AVB) solution using BroadR-Reach® automotive Ethernet technology from Broadcom Corporation. Parrot’s implementation of the AVB technology is groundbreaking news in the automotive world, as it opens new perspectives for in-car infotainment networks.

Ethernet is a widespread standard for CE devices, computers and networks, enabling scalable and open architectures. By adding audio video bridging (AVB) technology to an Ethernet architecture, Parrot’s new solution is optimized to meet the stringent requirements of the automotive industry. With AVB’s “deterministic” network management, a car manufacturer can define precise timing for streams between specific network nodes. The bandwidth between them can be enforced, regardless of the level of traffic on the network.

As consumer demand for in-vehicle connectivity continues to grow, automotive manufacturers are under pressure to deliver competitive, innovative features while minimizing cost. The automotive Ethernet standard allows multiple in-vehicle systems (such as infotainment, on-board diagnostics and automated driver assistance) to simultaneously access information over unshielded single twisted pair cable. By eliminating cumbersome, shielded cabling, automotive manufacturers can significantly reduce connectivity costs and cabling weight. In addition, car makers can upgrade a vehicle during its lifecycle by adding new devices while maintaining the vehicle’s existing electronic architecture.

“Ethernet is the ideal solution for scalable automotive infotainment architectures.” said Henri Seydoux, CEO of Parrot. “Thanks to the knowledge of AVB it acquired over time, Parrot brings Ethernet-based infotainment solutions up to carmakers’ expectations. Ultimately, Ethernet combined with AVB will be the key to unify all types of vehicle BUS”.

“By collaborating with leaders throughout the automotive and tech industry we have successfully established Ethernet as the standard of choice in automotive connectivity,” said Dr. Ali Abaye, Broadcom senior director of Automotive. “Solutions based on our BroadR-Reach automotive Ethernet technology deliver a scalable architecture and connectivity backbone to power high-bandwidth, automotive infotainment and advanced driver safety features.”

About the AVB demo

The demonstration presents an example of a video stream transfer within an AVB-managed network. The stream originates in a rearview camera and is sent to the head unit via the Broadcom BroadR-Reach network. A tablet connected to the network attempts to disrupt the data transfer, but thanks to AVB, the data rate between the camera and the head unit is maintained and no disruption is visible.